The Guy Is My Hero

The Guy! My Hero!

Discovered this morning that I am a coward. Truly a coward. Makes me want to cry that I am such a yellow-bellied, chicken-livered wimp.

Me!

My folks heat pump is running on emergency, costing $700 plus each month. Mom is very frail physically, Dad is just a little behind. The cold gets to them and it has been cold up here.  When I talked to Dad this morning he said it was cold in their house. I asked him if he and Mom want to come stay with us for a couple of days. He says Mom says that they are not allowed to go beyond their mailbox!  I think she's afraid my sister and I will kidnap Dad (rescue him) from her!

It took us 10 days to get any service company to answer our calls to go out to check on the heater. Finally got someone out. Furnace is shot. They need a new one.

Got the bid on replacement. $10,000 plus (and that is with the senior discount). The Guy kept at it, kept calling and finally got another company to make an appointment to inspect unit to submit a bid.

Today The Guy and I were going to head out to folks house, take them breakfast and be there so that The Guy can help with conversation with service man and Dad. After service guy leaves, Frank would help explain things to Mom who is more deaf than a rock, a very mean rock!

Mom is having a major anxiety-control attack, wants appt cancelled, doesn't even want us there. Won't listen to why another guy is going out. Can't explain to you the chaos of our conversations with her over the phone, but it's not good. So I caved. Said I would cancel the appointment and we would stay home.

The Guy comes out of shower and I tell him we can't go. "Mom says no!" The Guy informs me that 'No" is not an alternative. He is going out to meet the guy. He called Dad, Dad says, C'mon down. (He'll pay for that one!)

I couldn't make myself go! I don't want to face Mom's tantrum when we get there. I can guarantee you that my dad is paying hell for it right now, at least until The Guy gets there. The Guy went alone to help my parents because I am too chicken to face the Wrath of Mom! What a poor excuse for a daughter. Just don't want to be her punching bag.

I texted my sister, "Damned if you do and damned if you don't"! She texted back that Mom has already called her to share the chaos, confusion and wrath!

So here I sit, a bit of coffee in my Bailey's, tail tucked between my legs.

How can anyone be afraid of an 89 year old, 82 pound woman?

Not afraid of her exactly, more afraid of my reaction to her madness. I don't want to say hurtful things (well, I do, believe me, but I try to avoid the circumstances when it is too easy to blurt out the yucky stuff). Being a good person is so easy around my dad, not so easy around Mom.

The Guy just texted. He's there and all is well. Mom's in peaceful (yeah, right) mood.  She just loves The Guy and is always more calm when he is around. Maybe I should pour a little more coffee in this Baileys and stopping whining!

MOTHER FOR SALE
MAKE AN OFFER!

 

A little advice when it comes to caring for aging parents. Move to New Zealand!

Committed!

Not what your thinking (or wishing), though probably not long before they catch up with me!

Sign up day for the A to Z Challenge. I signed up! I'm committed. Joining a bunch of masochists who don't have enough stress in their lives so freely purchase a ticket for more!

Bring it on!

I'm not sure if I shared this with you all, but I am surrounded by fundamental, judgemental super-conservatives. The Guy is the oldest of 10 and his whole family except the youngest sister are staunch Cheeto Von Tweeto fans. Very outspoken about it too. Don't need to tell you how much they hated Obama and didn't mind griping about him constantly but want me to "show some respect" to 'their' guy in office. Not going to happen. Gotta earn respect and Von Tweeto is in the red as far as I'm concerned.

This morning I was discussing the deregulation signed February 16 allowing coal mines to dump their waste into rivers. My mother-in-law said she doubted that was true, basically calling me a liar. I gave her the link so she could actually watch him brag about it, then go on to talk about all the other regulations he's going to reverse. (Get ready, kids, you're going back to the workhouse!)

She says, "Fake News!"


He brags about grabbing private parts! They say, 'fake news'!
He says that the racists in Charlottesville at 'very fine people'! They say,  fake news!

I give up! I have to get out of this town! This 'snowflake' needs new stomping grounds.

Full Disclosure: I don't think he was born in the United States. I think he was created in Hell and the devil was so annoyed with him, he was kicked out!

Spark Monday!

McGuffy's Reader has been sharing a Spark of inspiration on Monday's! She invites others to do the same.

I like that she choose Monday to share these nuggets, gravity always seems a little stronger on Mondays!

Graphic from Brave Girls Club. A fun and inspirational group who help inspire women around the world.

Being reminded of Dr. Seuss books on Friday's Fill-ins, I'd also like to share another quote from
Oh, The Places You'll Go, one of my favorite Seuss books.

" Kid, you’ll move mountains! 

Today is your day! 

Your mountain is waiting. 

So get on your way!"

From me to you, remember, You are enough!

Friday

Great day to celebrate the small things (though, honestly, there are some pretty big things to celebrate, too). Keeping it on the 'small things' side, though. Thanks, Lexa Cain.

Celebrating good friends who are conspiring with me to put together a proposal for an office setting re-organization. Can't share more now, but will after the proposal is presented.

Celebrating You-tube! Anything you don't know how to do but want to learn, try You-tube. I watched a bunch of 'operating sound board' videos yesterday. Got it! Push button, slide, push button!

Celebrating frozen pizza. Absolutely didn't want to cook yesterday!

Celebrating the wind yesterday. Kept me home.

Celebrating the Joannes' coupon emailed to me yesterday. Will stop by to pick up soft flannel to finish Kassie's quilt!

On the BIG side, celebrating Lyn's super progress, and the clear passage to and from hospital. Ashland's Market of Choice (dang, that was some good soup), and road cams!

Friday is Friendly Fill-in day, too. McGuffy's Reader and 15andmeowing hosting!

They come up with the fill-ins and we fill-in! Sounds like a chain gang but it's not!

1. My favorite Dr. Seuss book is ____________

2. The most interesting person I have ever met is ____________

3. Besides books by Dr. Seuss, my favorite book as a child was ______________

4. Lately, I have been working on_________________

Would it be corny to say I'm drawing a blank?  Haven't read a Dr. Seuss book in, oh, I don't know, 3 months! Let me think.

1. My favorite Dr. Seuss book is Oh The Places You'll Go, great book. "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."  I am kind of fond of Horton Hears A Who, too.

2. The most interesting person I have ever met is a man who's name was Mitch. He had been imprisoned in Serbia three times, twice by the Germans during WWII and once by the communists, when the Allies gave Eastern Europe to them after the war, even though the Serbs fought hard for us, protected our downed pilots and soldiers and died for us. He escaped from Yugoslavia in the early '50's. He was an inspiration, a deep thinker and a student of consciousness.

3. Besides books by Dr. Seuss, my favorite book as a child was Little Women, Black Beauty, Eight Cousins, No Children-No Pets, all Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. My favorite book is always the one I have in my hands at the moment!

4. Lately, I have been working on purging house, remodeling house, clearing studio, designing website for OLM, studying weather on the I-5 corridor, weekly bulletin for OLM, looking up subjects A to Z for challenge next month and conspiring with friends to re-organize office structure, in other words, "Oooooh nothing!"

It's Friday. Yes, Yes, Yes! (if I sounded a bit like Meg Ryan in When Marry Met Sally just then, it's because that's exactly how I feel!)

Mom and Dad's this afternoon, conspiracy meeting in morning (gotta coach the offense!) and then three days of nuttin' honey!  Amen!

What are your plans? Are you snowed in and going to bounce off walls? Are you like, Leeanna, with windows open and letting the air flow your house while she thinks about joining A to Z Challenge?

Whatcha gonna do?

Take The Challenge

Monday is the sign-up day for the 2018 A to Z Challenge!

Any of you going to take on the challenge?

If you are, have you thought of a Category or a Theme yet?

I had so much fun last year!  Nora Roberts, a well-published author wrote, "A great writer chases her heroine up a tree and then throws rocks at her." Don't quote me quoting her, I might be off a little! My theme for the 2017 A to Z Challenge was 26 Rocks to Throw At A Protagonist Who Is Up A Tree (with a sub-theme of alliteration!). 

My dilemma this year has been whether to go for humor or be serious. (Seriously, hard for me to be serious most of the time. Gloomy, yes! Negative, yes! Serious, not so much!

I already have a theme, inspired by some of my Readers! Thank you, Friends!

Can't wait for Reveal Day!

Dang! Just looked Reveal Day up on the calendar. Someone remind me, There's a chance I might be hung-over! Would really like to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at Shameless O'Leery's! 

 Friday, Saturday, Sunday...you've got some time to think about it! Join in on the fun! 

(Re-thinking my theme...what if I change it to 26 Micro-Brews and I have to test each one before I can post about it!)

In Like A LION...

Easter Sunday is going to be a beautiful day if the old expression about March is true. It is roaring like a lion for sure today.

The biggest storm of this winter is hitting us hard. The wind is knocking branches out of the Sycamore and the Cypress trees are almost bent over. One gust this morning knocked over bird bath and spinning wheel in back.

Weather people are predicting 4 to 6' of snow in the Sierras, the mountains east of us and same in the Trinities, mountains west of us. Road cams of I-5 north of us showed a long line of parked semis along the sides of road in both directions just north of Weed.

I was supposed to take some laundry soap to folks house and help Mom with laundry. She took a couple of falls and has some healing to do. We decided the wind was too much and she's feeling "goofy" (her word) today, so I'll go tomorrow.

Do you know what that means?

Exactly!

Got any suggestions for Netflix or Amazon marathon?

Consequences of Being Healthy

Just when you thought it was too good to be true!!!

Lyn, my dear friend, just had a total knee reconstruction. She prepared herself for surgery by walking, exercising, strengthening herself for post-op recovery. She did all of this in extreme pain, she was supposed to have surgery last May but ended up putting it off (partly to build herself up).

She has state-of-the-art surgical procedures and surgeon. Typically a Total-knee takes a minimum 3 day hospitalization. Lyn went in with the mindset that she was going to do it in two days!  Huge winter storm threatening the west coast, prediction of 4 to 6 feet of snow east and west of us was a bit of a factor.

This morning, her doctor is totally blown away by her progress. First night after surgery she walked 70'! Yesterday she was making loops around the nursing station. He gives her the go ahead and signs the discharge papers.

Twenty minutes later, just before we walked in to bust her out, she gets a visit from the finance department. Medicare is denying a huge portion of her costs!

Why, you might ask!

Medicare informed her that her stay at the hospital is considered "outpatient" care because she didn't spend three nights in the hospital. Because it is an outpatient procedure, they are only going to cover a small portion of the costs.

Layman's terms: Because you got better faster it's going to cost you more!

Great method Medicare has adopted to help a person recover from major surgery?

Medicare friends, stay or pay!

A Lesson Learned

Home Safe.

After lots of debate and discussion, we decided to leave earlier than originally planned for our drive straight into the winter storm of the year!

The Guy bought cables for me, packed up two extra blankets, bottled water and oranges, and tore down a huge box into a long piece of cardboard about 10' long (in case I had to get on the ground to put on snow cables or work on car!) Always thinking, that Guy!

The sun was shining when I reached Lyn's house, not a cloud in the sky. The mountains were beautiful. We packed up her stuff and got back on I-5.

Mt. Shasta and Castle Crags looming in the distance were bright and shiny. Still no clouds. The wind was a different matter. Mr. Wind was blowing with all his might.

All this sunshine and I'm still full of anxiety, worried about the 7 mile steep grade headed up to Siskiyou Pass.

We round the mountains just after Weed (yes, there is a town in California named Weed!), we've made it through the Cascades! No problems! Of course there were the 18-wheelers swaying in the wind and crossing lanes at the last minute but that is a given.

There is a long stretch of plains and rolling hills between the Cascades and the Siskiyous, Yreka nestles in on the west side of the valley; a total sucker for the icy north winds.  Looming in the distance is a menacing, bank of dark ominous clouds! (I start wondering why I hadn't called the kids and told them how much I love them and how proud of them I am!)

We head up the grade, sun still shining on us, pavement dry.  We get to the Pass, road still dry, sun still shining. From Pass to hotel is about 10 minutes. By the time we get to hotel, the dark clouds have swept in. It is only 1:30 but seems that night has just leaped out. Temperature is about 36.

Just made it.

Looking out the hotel window at 6 AM, everything is white! Car is surrounded by 6 inches of snow. I know you Canada and snow country people are thinking 6" is nothing. You have to remember, I am from Redding; 2 inches of snow and we close the schools!

Started car to heat it up for Lyn. She is wearing pajamas because she just did pre-surgery wipe down.
She also only wore slippers! Six inches of snow! How she going to get to car? The Guy's cardboard!
I laid it on the snow, like a red carpet! Isn't he the best?

Packed up the cardboard and headed to hospital. But First, getting out of parking lot that no one has driven in, so I don't have tracks to follow in. More anxiety. Backing out of spot was okay until Malibu decided to slide sideways! Why did we decided to book a hotel with a sloped parking lot?

Roads were mushy but doable. Hospital parking lot was fun, again, tiniest bit of slope so my little car refuses to park facing west because there is a grade of about 2%!  (Could it be that my car suffers from more anxiety than her driver???) So, I back out, turn around and park east, sliding into perfect spot.

Cute little Malibu but she's going to need some therapy!

Lyn is admitted and on to surgery. The sun pops out and I discovered that I am in paradise! I love Ashland anyway, but dusted in snow, she turns into a magic world!

While Lyn was in surgery, I took a walk. Discovered that in my hurry to leave early, I left camera at home, right by the door, where I wouldn't forget it!  Met some nice people walking their dogs, some dogs had little booties. Scared a guy in a long (cashmere looking) top coat, carrying his gourmet coffee and newspaper. He saw me coming and crossed the street! (That's right, buddy, be afraid of the old woman in a USC sweatshirt and levis!) He could probably smell the sandalwood and patchouli on me and thought, "Oh, shit, an old hippie!"

Talked with Julie, my Portland friend. Another storm was coming down from her end of the state and there are several mountain ranges to cross to get there. We decided to skip my visit.

Best part of experience. Lyn sailed through the surgery. Knee replacement is a whole new world since mine (or maybe it's just Oregon). She didn't have to have General Anesthesia. They do an epidural, place a small catheter in thigh, just above the knee for immediate pain control meds for 36 hours after surgery (no narcotics or waiting 20 minutes for pain meds to take effect, yahoo!) and she is given something to put her in a bit of a 'twilight state', she is awake but mostly unaware during surgery. She may hear conversations and maybe not. No urine catheter, no intubation, no post surgical vomiting from anesthesia. She walked 70' yesterday, just a couple of hours after her surgery.

Headed back tomorrow to bring her home. Next storm is not until Thursday, so no worries! The Guy is going with me to help get Lyn in and out.

So now you are all aware of one of my most dreaded fears! What are yours. What makes you sweat bullets? 

Those of you that drive in the snow on a regular basis:

Yes!

Friend sent this to me on Facebook. Couldn't resist sharing.

Yesterday I had my annual Medicare wellness check. The nurse said that at my age I should have a bar in the shower. So I took her advice.

Crap!

Guess what highway has Severe Weather Alerts and Warnings for today?

Shit-oh-dear!

Snow! 8 tp 15 inches predicted.

50+ mile an hour gusts.

Guess who has only driven in snow twice, maybe!!!!

Guess who doesn't own chains!

I'm packing blankets, pillow, water and little ketchup packs, just in case we get stranded and I have to eat my friend!!!!

This is a bit of Karma. When I had my total knee replacement, I was originally on a 3 month waiting list. I got a call on Friday telling me that several patients couldn't reach the hospital due to a blizzard, so if I wanted, I could have my surgery on Monday! Yahoo. I went for it!

Paybacks are hell!

Road Trip

Do you love road trips? I thrive on them.

Really don't know where it comes from, but I love driving alone! Primal screaming, top of the lung singing (totally off key and no one suffers!), audio books, making up stories about random drivers or houses as I pass.

Sunday, I pick up a friend who lives alone in the mountains, then we head to Ashland, Oregon. She is going to have a total knee replacement and, sadly, not many physicians or either hospital in Redding is trusted by any of us locals.

She needs to be at the hospital at 7 AM, so we're spending the night in Ashland. I love her dearly, but I can't imagine driving through the canyon at 3 AM, and, bless her heart, neither can she!

I'll stay at hospital until she's out of surgery then I jump into my chariot and drive to Portland to visit Julie!

Color me excited!

Julie, the best friend in the entire world, was my maid of honor when the Guy and I were married at Shasta Dam a million years ago. We have tickets to see Cheryl Strayed, of Wild and Brave Enough fame. Can you imagine hiking the Pacific Crest Trail by yourself?  I would love to tell you that I would hike it without a moment's hesitation if it wasn't for my bad knees but, sadly, that would be a big fat lie. Bears, Mountain Lions and a 70 lb pack...yeah, NO!

Depending on how Lyn progresses with her physical therapy, I will pick her up Wed or Thur on my way back home. Lyn will have some pretty heavy duty pain medication in her for the drive over the pass and through the canyon, so conversation may be minimal but there are those audio books. I don't care how medicated one is, I would never put them through the torture of my singing!

I gave my laptop to my grandson and his wife, so I will be able to read everyone's blogs while I'm gone, but won't be able to comment. I'm a little hesitant about putting too much info on my IPhone, so I can't post on my blog or comment on other blogs. Every time a prompt shows up on my cell asking for a password, I turn it off and say a prayer to the Tech Powers That Be to back off! I don't even have Messenger on my phone which is apparently a major sin to some!

The Guy is going to be in 7th heaven. He works with customers all day and has a commute of about 2 minutes! Before we moved to town, he had a good 25 minutes of down time before getting home. His days off are usually jam-packed, so, other than hanging out with my parents for a bit on Wednesday, he is going to have at least three evenings to do as he pleases, no pressure. He's acting like he's going to miss me...but we all know the truth, right?

As much as I love being with him, there are those times when being alone is more precious than gold or cheesecake!

Oh, the other part of that stupid promise I made to get out and be more adventurous...the weather predictions for days we will be headed over Siskiyou Pass are for snow and rain. Oh yeah, there is a huge climb heading north, or drop when heading south.

At least the highway is divided!

Just saying, there will wine at the hotel and probably a bag of Almond Joys (self medication) on the ride up!

Wish us luck. See you on the flip side! (p.s. to Martha. I'm praying there is no V-8 on the road!)

Random Thoughts about White Hair

When I started Wandering and Wondering, my hair was a dark mahogany, then it was black, then it was a lighter mahogany, then it was just brown.

Premature Gray Silver is a dominant trait on my mother's side of the family. My hair started to turn gray white in my late teens. By the time I was 25, I would estimate my hair was close to 25% white.  Luckily, I had been dying it since I was 14, so the only way one could tell how white it was is if it took me more than three weeks to retouch it.

Yes, my mother let me dye my hair at 14. I wasn't allowed to pierce my ears, wear make-up, tampons or bikini underwear (what would people think!!!!) but I could support Clairol!

My hair grows super fast. If I dye it, about four minutes past the 21st day a quarter inch neon stripe of silver glows at my scalp, yelling to the world, "FAKE! FAKE! FAKE!"

I stopped dying it ages ago and now my hair is mostly silver with some dark 'low lights' that don't cost me a dime!

My old Blogger profile photo was taken maybe 11 or 12 years ago. Yesterday one of my friends asked me why I have such an old photo representing me. She accused me of being ashamed of my hair color and age! She knew better but she was trying to make a point. So, this morning I have updated my photo.

All of you young women without gray in your hair, you are probably unaware or maybe you have asked these questions of your silver friends.

These are my answers to questions that are asked all the time:

Yes, I have white hair and I love it.

Yes, it is naturally curly, I only blow dry it if the humidity is below 38%, otherwise it is a useless task.

No, I don't think it ages me, having had 67 birthdays is what ages me.

No, white hair did not make my hair unruly. My hair, like myself, has always had authority issues! (Which brings me to the items above that I wasn't allowed to do...it didn't mean I didn't do them, I just wasn't allowed to do them!)

Yes, The Guy likes my white hair? Well, I don't really know for sure. He says he doesn't want me to dye it but I'm not sure if it's because he likes the white or his wallet likes the savings!

Lots of words here to assure you all that I didn't have some tragic event that made me go white overnight.

Are you happy, Jessica?

p.s. The Guy has the most awesome wavy silver hair. When he was younger his hair was black. He looks just like his Uncle Richard who has had the most gorgeous silver hair since I've known him. I couldn't wait for the Guys hair to turn and make him even more handsome than he already was. Now he looks just like Uncle Richard. Oo la la!